Results tagged ‘ Joe Girardi ’
Cashman addresses hot-button issues
I’m playing catch-up on this, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke on Thursday at the University of New Haven in Connecticut and addressed several hot-button topics that fans have been curious about.
Via the Register Citizen’s Joe Morelli, with a hat tip to the iYankees blog for linking it first:
On not negotiating new contracts with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera right now, and some more context about Johnny Damon —
“The industry the last two free agent markets seems to be going
downward and the player’s ages are going upward,” Cashman said. “It
makes more sense to be patient. My attitude is if this is the place you
want to be, you will make it happen. Johnny Damon professed his love
for the Yankees, wanted to be here and was given every chance to be
here. He’s not here anymore and I don’t feel that is the Yankees’
fault. They have to reconcile why they are not here, not me.
“If
people want to be here and be a part of something, then find a way to
work it out. Of course we want (Jeter, Rivera and Girardi) back, but we
choose to delay that until the end of the year.”
On the Yankees’ two-year, $14 million offer to Damon –
“I told (Damon and Boras), ‘I don’t know if Hal (Steinbrenner, the
team’s part owner) would approve it, but I’m not going to fight for it
unless we know you will do it,’” Cashman said. “Scott Boras said,
‘Bobby Abreu’s (new) contract is $9 million a year right now on the
table so why would we do that? So I expect to see a Bobby Abreu
contract.’ … I hope he does not sign for something less than our
offer. That means he should have been a Yankee and that’s not our
fault.”
On how the Yankees’ budget looks for 2010 —
“If you ask everyone in the room if they would rather not have Curtis
Granderson because he costs X amount of dollars and Andy Pettitte
because he costs X amount, that gives you more money to sign the left
fielder who is dear to your heart in Johnny Damon,” Cashman said. “If
you ask most people right now, what would you rather have moving
forward, I think they would say they need Andy Pettitte for the
rotation and Curtis Granderson because he’s an all-star center fielder
who hit 30 homers at Comerica Park last year, who steals bases and is
(7) years younger. You can’t have everything.”
Rumor Mill: Cashman wings it home
The nice part about holding the General Managers’ meetings at a Chicago airport hotel must have been that it was easy for Brian Cashman to get back to New York.
Cobbling through this morning’s reports, it’s clear that the Hot Stove is alive and well, though there isn’t much concrete to hitch onto. Sure, the Yankees would be interested if the Blue Jays decide to move Roy Halladay — just the way they were in July (New York Daily News). But who’s to say Toronto can really stomach seeing Doc in their division pitching for either the Yankees or the Red Sox? That’d have to be one heck of a prospect package.
File the name Curtis Granderson under those that we might be seeing a lot of this winter (New York Post). We said in Spring Training that if the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs, it would be because a lot of things more important than Melky Cabrera vs. Brett Gardner went wrong. Well, neither really played All-Star caliber ball and the Yankees didn’t seem to suffer a bit. But looking to 2010, Granderson could be an impact player for a team that could lose both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
Also today in the Post, the Yankees are planning to wait until after 2010 to discuss extensions with Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter. Arbitration-eligible Brian Bruney is expected to be tendered a contract, and Cashman has received some level of interest from Japanese teams in the long-forgotten Kei Igawa, though his preference would be to stay.
The most significant moves this week were to outright Josh Towers and Freddy Guzman into free agency. That means there’s still plenty of work left to do.
Twins heading to the Bronx
What a game, huh? After 12 innings, it was Alexi Casilla delivering the American League Central title for the Twins, defeating the Tigers in a 6-5 victory that will put Minnesota on a quick charter flight to the Bronx in preparation for Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Wednesday.
Reached late Tuesday after the thrilling walk-off, here’s what Joe Girardi had to say now that the Yankees finally know who their first round opponent will be:
…on playing the Twins in the ALDS:
The Twins offensively have left-handed power in Kubel and Mauer, and everything really focuses around Mauer. He’s so dangerous in their lineup. One thing that has happened to this club is Kubel has really matured into a dangerous hitter behind Mauer, and Cuddyer has really stepped up in the months of September and October. Delmon Young has turned his season around as well. They also play small ball and you have to be ready for that.
….on the Twins having to use Nathan tonight:
The only advantage it gives you is that they probably wouldn’t ask him to get more than three outs on Wednesday.
…on how the Yankees bullpen matches up against the Twins:
The Twins have more lefthanders. A second lefthander would possibly get more work against them. The one thing we talk about, is we want to make sure that when we use our bullpen, we’re covered if the game goes extra innings.
… on how much confidence it gives the Yankees to face the Twins after going 7-0 against them this season:
I think our club is confident right now because of the way we’ve played since May. As far as meeting the Twins, we’re not going to have to face questions like “can you beat them,” like we’ve had to answer during the course of the year. Once the playoffs start though, it’s a new series and we know the importance of each game. You can pretty much throw everything else out the window.
…on the Twins possibly already being in playoff mode after tonight’s win:
I don’t think that you can really answer that question until Wednesday and after Wednesday’s game. I’ve been on clubs that had to play extremely hard all the way through and we lost in the first round. I’ve also been on clubs that did not have to play hard all the way through, for instance the ’98 Yankees, and we ended up winning the World Series. It really comes down to how your perform. I think everyone’s mind is going to be in playoff mode.
Was that payback?
The Yankees were pretty tight-lipped about the pitch that hit Mark Teixeira on the left hand last night, and sometimes a no comment is a pretty good indication that there’s something brewing.
Asked if they thought David Price’s pitch had some purpose behind it, Teixeira said, “I have no idea,” and Joe Girardi said, “I don’t know.”
Naturally, both Price and Rays manager Joe Maddon said there was nothing doing, but clearly Girardi was thinking back to Sept. 8 – when Carlos Pena’s season ended courtesy of two broken fingers and a CC Sabathia fastball – when he glared into the Tampa Bay dugout, shaking his head.
The best thing the Yankees can do now, of course, is count their blessings and then do absolutely nothing in retaliation to the Rays. They should have learned their lesson from the Jorge Posada – Jesse Carlson scrap with the Blue Jays. Tuck this one away for the future if you want, but there’s no reason to pick fights when the bigger prize is right around the corner.
Joba rises to the occasion
Feeling better about the idea of Joba Chamberlain as the fourth starter in the postseason? The Yankees probably are. Chamberlain appeared back in form on Friday, firing six innings of three-run ball to log his first victory in a span of eight starts.
It must have helped to know that the ‘Joba Rules’ restrictions were finally relaxed and he was free to throw as many as 90 pitches — Chamberlain got to 86 and that was plenty as the Yankees coasted to a 9-5 victory over the Red Sox.
“You’ve just got to challenge yourself,” Chamberlain said. “There come points in your career when you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and make an adjustment. I was at the point where I needed to do that, and it’s something I’ve had to learn at a young age, to do that quick.”
While the Yankees were in Anaheim, Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland sat down with Chamberlain and looked into his eyes. Girardi said that it wasn’t a reading of the riot act, but the point was made that the Yankees needed to see better results.
“We just had a discussion that we knew he was capable of pitching better and that we need to see him pitch better,” Girardi said.
It doesn’t seem like the outing will make the Yankees want to push Chamberlain into the American League Division Series, but they’ll need him if they get to the next rounds. This should make them feel better about that idea.
“Important weekend” in the Bronx
Here we go, in the final Yankees vs. Red Sox showdown of 2009 … unless these two clubs have a date to fill in the American League Championship Series. And the way things are going, would you really want to bet against that?
You might think some of the buzz would be erased because the Yankees are already guaranteed to be in the postseason and the Red Sox are very close to it. But the Yankees still have important business to take care of, finishing off the division title, and the fact that they can do that against their fiercest rival adds to the party.
“I think it’s an important weekend because of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Joe Girardi said.
Joba Chamberlain has the ball tonight, and believe it or not, he’s about as close to a fully fledged starter as we’ve seen in a while. Chamberlain is going to be unleashed to throw about 90 pitches against Boston, as far as that gets him, and innings are no longer the concern.
In other updates, Jerry Hairston, Jr. said he was “scared half to death” feeling his left wrist pop on Wednesday in Anaheim, but said that now that he knows he can’t injure his severely sprained wrist any more, he’ll go all-out with it the rest of the season.
“Basically, the best medicine is to sit for four to six weeks, but that ain’t happening,” Hairston said. “I can’t make it any worse. This is my first opportunity to play in the postseason and I’m not going to let this hinder that.”
Dave Robertson came back well after throwing a more aggressive bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled to face live hitters on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. If Robertson gets through that without setback, Girardi said that he would try to work him into games during the last week of the season as the Yankees attempt to narrow down their bullpen mix for the playoffs.
“I really believe that two [appearances] is a distinct possibility,” Girardi said. “I think it’s important to see him pitching in live conditions.”
Tempers flare in Yankees win
You would think by the final score, a 13-3 blowout over the Orioles, that yesterday’s game up at Yankee Stadium was relatively stress-free. Not so. The Yankees lost both Alex Rodriguez and Joe Girardi to ejections in the fifth inning as they once again clashed with home plate umpire Marty Foster.
Rodriguez was thumbed after playing the top of the fifth inning and called Foster “unprofessional” in his postgame remarks. That was a word that Derek Jeter teetered on the edge of using but never actually did back on July 6, when Foster supposedly told Jeter he was out on a play at third base and did not actually need to be tagged with the baseball (Foster later denied saying this).
“I don’t know what his deal is with the Yankees,” Rodriguez said. “To
tell Jeter to get off the field and to throw me out without a warning
– I think in the heat of the moment, not arguing balls and strikes, I
think there should be a little room for error where you can actually
argue, take out your frustration and let the game go on.”
The ejection was A-Rod’s first since July 24, 2004 at Fenway Park, the day that he and Jason Varitek fought and conspired to launch a billion t-shirts and eBay listings.
What Yanks are doing with Chamberlain “is not going to last forever”
There should be your consolation after last night’s 6-0 loss to the Blue Jays, from the mouth of Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
Not that the Yankees were going to win this one, not with Roy Halladay recapturing his vintage form in a one-hit shutout, but there should be legitimate concerns about Chamberlain’s growth right now in the rotation. He hasn’t been particularly good since that spurt coming out of the All-Star break, and it’s difficult to judge his progress when you’re only seeing it in three-inning stints.
“You treat it like any other start,” Chamberlain said. “You prepare yourself and try to get better. I go in thinking I’m going to go six or seven, because if you try to go in for three, it gets a little more frustrating. You’ve got to go in and take it like a normal start.”
Girardi didn’t want to talk about the possible playoff rotation, not on September 4. But you’d have to think that Chamberlain will be in the bullpen if everything holds for the AL Division Series (against the Tigers?) and then would be one of New York’s four starters if they advance to the League Championship Series.
Bottom line — as they open the roof here at the Rogers Centre — the Yankees have a little bit of time to get things right. But make no mistake, they do need to get it right, preferably back to the way it was coming out of the break.
“He was able to get out of jams in those other starts, and he has not done as good a job at that,” Girardi said. “When a couple of guys got on, he was able to get the big out. He has not done that in those three starts, but I still really believe in him. At the end of September, you’re going to see a guy throwing the ball well.”
Yankees change the Joba Rules
The Yankees have made a significant alteration to the rules concerning right-hander Joba Chamberlain, as a result of his troublesome recent stretch.
Chamberlain will now pitch every fifth day in the rotation for the rest of the season but the Yankees will be cutting short his starts on a predetermined basis in the very near future, leaving him unable to qualify for victories in some cases — think four innings — and keeping him under his innings limit (believed to be 160). Having bullpen reinforcements beginning Sept. 1 will help this.
Then, as September comes to a close, his innings will be bumped back up so he will be capable to throw 100 pitches. Chamberlain said that he is happy about the move, which Joe Girardi had been talking about with Dave Eiland and Brian Cashman this week. Chamberlain was told about it this afternoon at the Stadium.
“It’s going to be something that’s good for all of us,” Chamberlain said.
More later…
Girardi: I’m sticking with Sergio
Sergio Mitre is going to make his next turn in the Yankees rotation, Joe Girardi confirmed without hesitation after tonight’s 5-4 loss to the Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.
“He threw the ball well,” Girardi said. “His miscue cost him a really good outing, in a
sense. You’re looking at just a couple of solo home runs and that’s
basically it.”
Mitre was charged with his first loss of the season, allowing five runs (three earned) on six hits in five innings. He struck out a season-high six batters and said he is pleased that Girardi is hanging with him for the next turn, which would be Aug. 15 at Seattle.
“That’s a big boost of confidence for me,” Mitre said. “He’s backing me up all the
way. I’m trying to do the best I can for him, just to stop those
questions for him so everybody can know that I can pitch here and
finally just answer that question once and for all.”
Both Mitre and Girardi said the difference in Monday’s game was three mistakes — homers to Aaron Hill in the third inning and Lyle Overbay in the fifth inning, plus the game-changing error on a tailing throw to second base that set up a three-run fourth inning.
Mitre said he double-pumped the throw and got underneath it, forcing it to elude Robinson Cano on what was originally charged as an error to the second baseman before being changed post-game. If Mitre makes the proper throw to Cano, Girardi guessed he’d have allowed two runs in five innings and be sent out for the sixth.
Mitre said that after being out of the game for a year and a half, he is feeling signs of progress and his elbow isn’t bothering him at all.
“Everything is positive,” Mitre said. “I was able to get five today. It feels like I’m taking little steps forward. Three mistakes cost me the game – two home runs and the big one was the ground ball double play. If I do that, it’s a completely different ballgame.”
Bryan Hoch
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